This invention relates to an improved wheel construction. It relates more particularly to improvements in wheels of the welded spoke variety which permit those wheels to accommodate pedal cranks and coaster brakes so that the wheels can be used as the front wheels of tricycles and as the rear wheels of sidewalk bikes.
Welded spoke wheels have been available for several years. The basic construction is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,025. In the manufacture of this type of wheel, the inner ends of the spokes are positioned at the opposite ends of a cylindrical tube comprising the wheel hub. Then circular end caps are positioned against the spokes in register with the tube ends and are welded to the tube ends with the spokes also being caught in the weld. Openings for an axle are punched in the end caps prior to their securement to the tube to accommodate the wheel axle.
Until now, welded spoke wheels have had limited application. Invariably they are used as the rear wheels of tricycles or in other applications where the wheels are not associated with pedal cranks or coaster brakes. The reason for this is that, until now, it has not been feasible to fit such wheels with those elements without drastically changing the basic and proven hub construction of such wheels. Accordingly, until now the cost savings that results from the use of welded spoke wheels in those applications have not materialized.